Ok - here's the deal

For the last two months I have been living with my brother and his family - which has been great - in a sort of hectic, vacationing kind of way. We are still waiting for our house to sell in Kansas. It's under contract, but the buyers need their house to sell first - you know how it goes.

In the mean time I have been hanging out at my brother's and I have been scrambling to figure out what the next chapter of my life will look like.


Here's what I know so far. I am going to be following two paths at once.


Path number 1.

Chase Oaks Church (http://www.chaseoaks.org/) . I have had the opportunity over this past year to get to know a few of the pastors at the church where my brother attends. They have been gracious and generous in offering counsel and help as I have dealt with some pretty tough issues.
Now that I am in town they have given me the opportunity to help out with their arts/production team. I have oversight over the production of the weekend services. It's a pretty big church - 5 weekend services divided between two venues. And, those two venues have a very different feel and different target audiences. My role is to use my arts background and my pastoral experience to help shape those weekend gatherings.
The learning curve - at least technically - is fairly steep here at the beginning. There are a couple of software programs that I need to ramp up on pretty quickly. It's been great to hang out with some wonderfully creative and gracious people. It's just a part-time gig though and doesn't really pay the bills. So...

Path number 2

Coffee, coffee, and more coffee. My brother and I have decided to take the plunge and open a coffee roastery focusing on organic fair trade coffee. I have been home roasting for about 4 years, and during that time I have become more aware of the inequities of the global coffee exchange. Our desire is to not only sell wonderful coffee, but to run a roastery as an extension of my ministry and my heart to meet people at their point of need.


Here are some facts about coffee that you might like to know.


Coffee is the second-highest traded commodity in the world and fifty percent of it is grown on small family farms. In America alone 2.3 billion pounds of coffee is consumed each year and for every daily coffee drinker there is a worker that depends on the crop for his or her livelihood. But the majority of small family farmers are living in poverty. They don’t have the money or the means necessary to transport their crop from their mountain-growing communities to their local market. They must rely on local middlemen to buy their crop from them. Forced to sell at rock-bottom prices with no other means of income and no other option to exhaust, the small coffee farmer gets stuck in a cycle of dependency that becomes impossible to break.



That's where "Fair Trade" organizations come in. These organizations gather farmers into producing coops (giving the farmer much more selling power). Distribution channels can then be provided to these coops so that they can sell directly to importers and bypass the typical auction system and all of its middlemen. Organizations like TransFair set a minimum "fair" price for coffee increasing the likelihood that growers could make a living off their crop. And, cutting out middlemen means that even though the growers are receiving more per pound - the consumer is not paying much more for a Fair Trade product.

It's a great idea - and it's working.

Part of the Fair Trade premiums that coops receive are retained by the coops and used for community development projects in the communities where the farmers live. I've been so encouraged to read report after report of schools and health clinics and wells and bridges being built - all through Fair Trade premiums. I love that.

My hope is that others will love it too.

Needless to say, the last month has been full of research - researching commercial roasters and packaging equipment, semi-industrial lease space, sources for green organic fair trade coffee, sales and distribution channels, etc. Lots of information gathering.

We have a name (but it's not legal yet - hopefully this week - I'll let you know). Our roaster will be arriving at the end of the month. I'll be attending a four day class next week in Florida to learn how to use and maintain our new roaster. Our hope is to be up and running by early February. We have a daunting amount of work to do before then.

The focus of our new business will be:
1. Wholesale roasting for restaurants, cafes and churches who want a fresh roasted, values driven product to provide for their customers.
2. Private label wholesale roasting - for shops and cafes who wish to resell our coffee under their label.
3. Retail sales through our web site. (coming soon)
4. Fundraising - for schools and church youth groups who desire to sell something a little more values driven than cookie dough and popcorn.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'll keep you informed.

There and back again; A Holmes' Tale

About 11 years ago Kelly and I packed up all our worldly possessions, strapped in our toddler and our newborn, and we headed north. I had just finished 4 years at Dallas Theological Seminary and we were off to full-time vocational ministry in the great Mid West. Those 11 years have been quite an adventure. We went places we had never been; we met tons of wonderful people; we faced difficult challenges, and made great friends. Through it all God has taken care of us and has given us the opportunity to be a part of his mission. Now we are back - back in Big D - the home of the Cowboys, Tex-Mex, good barbecue, and terrible traffic.

Big D is also the home of my brother and sister in-law, Brian and Melanie - who are among my most favorite people in the world. Through grace and generosity they are alowing my family of five to invade their beautiful home during this time of transition. They are pretty awesome people. We just hope they don't get too sick of us.

Over the next few weeks Kelly and I will be reconnecting with old friends, chasing down job opportunities and trying our best to decompress and relax. We'll see how that goes.

I've been wondering how to say this

I haven't posted on this blog in over two months. It's not that I haven't had anything on my mind. Just the opposite. I have just had precious little that I could share in a forum as public as this. I am going through a tremendous time of transition right now - a transition that impacts me, my family and my church. About a month or so ago Kelly and I made the decision that it was time for me to step out of the sr. pastor role at Garden Community Church. There is nothing immoral or unethical going on - I was not asked to leave - my marriage is fine - I didn't steal from the church - none of that. We simply came to the conclusion that the church needed a different kind of leader and I need a better ministry fit.



The last couple of weeks have been painful for a lot of people - including me. Lots of questions. Lots of conversations. It's been hard on everyone.



Kelly and I are not sure what comes next for us. While we realize that it is not usually the way of wisdom to resign a position without a clear path ahead - we felt it was time to move on nonetheless. I have had several job conversations over the past few weeks as I have tried to figure out where we are going to land. Nothing set yet. Kelly and I are planning on relocating closer to family in either San Antonio, Dallas or Des Moines. Each of those cities not only represent great places to live long-term, but also soft places for us to land during a time of transition. If you think about it, please pray that God will make straight our path.



On a happy note - we got an offer on our house as soon as word got out that it would be for sale. We are still figuring out the contract details. I hope it all works out - that would be great.

The Olympics are starting! The Olympics are starting!

I am super pumped about the Olympics. I will be watching way too much television over the next couple of weeks. Kelly and I are already trying to figure out how we are going to handle the appearance of hypocrisy in front of our kids. We have made very clear to our children that if you watch too much TV, your brain turns into mashed potatoes. I am calling for a special dispensation at Olympic time. It is perfectly fine to zone out in front of the tube for the next two weeks - as long as you are watching a sport that you only get to see during the Olympics.

Which kind of brings up a beef that I have - not with the Olympics, but with Olympic coverage. I want to see the obscure stuff - rowing, badminton, fencing, ping pong - that kind of stuff. The problem is - NBC would rather show a gymnast eating dinner than a badminton match. My feeling is there are opportunities to see gymnastics throughout the year. If you watch Sunday afternoon sports regularly you'll know that the World Championships, the Olympic Trials along with other gymnastic competitions are indeed televised. I would just as soon they not show anything but the highlights of gymnastics. There is so much other cool stuff to watch. Show me the drama in the Taekwondo ring. (I don't even know the rules of Taekwondo - what a great time to learn). What are the odds that I will be able to catch some good archery competition, or kayaking, or handball? Probably not very good. Now, granted, I know nothing of those sports. They might be very boring to watch. But, the job of the network is to make me excited about it. They are missing a golden opportunity. There are only a couple of times every decade when I am willing to devote hours to watching and learning about a sport that I care nothing about. You get the Olympic spirit and find yourself cheering on athletes you have never heard of from countries you have never visited playing sports you don't understand. Isn't that great?

It remains to be seen if NBC will capitalize on their opportunity or if they will just show non-stop swimming, gymnastics and track and field.

From their perspective it probably doesn't much matter. I am going to watch anyway.

of bad backs and robots

bad backs

I am still hobbling around because of my gimpy back. I am amazed at variety of opinions I have received regarding lower back pain. I had no idea. Passionate opinions too. I must see a chiropractor; I must not go to a chiropractor; I really need physical therapy; Vitamin B helps nerves; stretch, stretch, stretch; rest and don't aggravate it; exercise; Have I considered a massage?; Codeine; muscle relaxants; heat; ice; reflexology; I probably need better shoes.

It is clear that a lot of people care for me and want to help any way they can. I am touched by their concern. I am still a little fuzzy about what I should be doing, however. Too much information - too many options. The only things I have done so far have been stretching and Codeine. (I have become a big fan of Codeine - it makes all your problems go away - I like it a lot). I am seeing the Doc again tomorrow. I think they will take X-rays. We'll see.

My buddy Rob things I am just being a wimp and that I just need to quit my crying and toughen up. He's a real friend.

Robots

My 12 yr old daughter Abby, just finished a week long robotics camp at Wichita State University. She and the other middle school students on her team worked all day, day after day, designing, building, and programing robots to perform certain tasks in competition with other teams. It was really cool - and she did awesome. It was strange, though, watching her at work. She seemed so much older sitting there with her laptop and wires everywhere trying to program her robot to use echo-location sensors so it doesn't bump into things, or light sensors so her robot can differentiate between colors. It was really quite impressive. And, it's all over my head. I find myself wanting to say things like, "well, I'll be" and "It's amazing what they can do these days" and "I never would have believed it" and "in my day we just read about robots and watched them in movies" - things like that.

My aging back and my aging kids are making me feel quite... aged.

My aching back

My back has aged about 20 years over the last 2 weeks. I don't know what has happened to me. I can't stand for more than about 10 minutes without sitting down. (This last weekend I had to preach from a stool. I have been told that preaching from a stool makes me look hip and cool - which is a nice added benefit I suppose - not that I need any help looking hip and cool.) I'd give up the hipness if my back didn't hurt so bad. My lower back feels like it is collapsing under the weight of my torso. The pain continues when I lie down. It just aches. I don't know what I did to it.

The only time it feels ok is when I sit with bad posture - you know - kind of slouching. Supposedly, slouching is bad for your back. Not mine I guess.

Most people have lower back pain - at least that is what I have been told. I guess it is my turn now.

It stinks.

Update May 17

It's been a while since I have written. Here's what's going on with the family.

Emma had her orientation at the middle school. We are going to have two daughters in middle school at the same time. Ready or not, here it comes.

Abby is getting more and more hardware added to her mouth. Now, along with the normal braces she has a pin acting as an anchor between two of the roots of her teeth; she has a bar going along the side of her teeth and a rubber band connecting things together. It looks painful, but she's not complaining too much.

Vacation is coming! Vacation is coming! In two days we will be heading to San Antonio. It's been nearly a year since we have been down there as a family. I have been suffering from vacationitus for the last couple of weeks. We are all looking forward to getting away for a while.

While we are in Texas, Kelly and I will be spending a night and a day in Austin - just the two of us. Austin is where we met and spent the first two years of marriage. We'll eat at great restaurants and stay in a fancy hotel. We are both super excited.

I've started running again - sort of. I am taking it really slow - trying to be gentle on my gimpy knee.

I went to a conference down at DTS a couple of weeks back. It was called "beyond the doors of the church". It was pretty good. Since we are rapidly turning into a "post-Christian" culture, the church in America will increasingly need to learn how to view and interact with culture the way missionaries interact with theirs. It sounds like an obvious statement to say that the church needs to see itself as group of missionaries to the culture in which they live. Most churches are far from that reality, however.

I finished The Lord of the Rings with Abby. She loved it. Her and I then watched The Fellowship of the Ring movie (the long version). She loved that too - pretty intense though. I think she is going to wait a while until she sees The Two Towers. Now I am reading through the Chronicles of Narnia with Emma. We are starting with The Magician's Nephew because chronologically, the events of that book predate all the others. We haven't gotten very far into the book - so far so good though. We are both enjoying it a lot.

It's been a glorious spring here in Kansas. It's been a long spring - it has taken a while to jump into summer. Our gardens are looking awesome. Flowers are blooming and the birds are singing.
That's about it.

potty emergencies

Kelly and I had a great idea yesterday. Our small-group from church was scheduled to meet at our house, but we had one child that was not feeling that great. Being unsure of whether or not Emma was acually sick (and possibly contagious) we decided to move the venue outdoors so that all the other children (and adults) would not be stuck in a house with sick germs.


We had our small-group meet at a park not far from our house. It was a pretty good plan. The kids would be able to play on the playscapes while the adults talked at the picnic tables. Abby and Grace and I went out early and claimed our tables - just in case any other pesky church groups had the same idea. All was going well... until people started asking where the bathrooms were.


We had kind of forgotten about that detail.


We had a whole lotta kids who "had to go potty real bad", but there was nothing close by. Parents had to get into their cars and drive them to restrooms. And, of course, the kids didn't all have to go at the same time. They were all about 15 minutes apart. Some of them had to go more than once. We had quite the rotation of cars coming and going.


Meanwhile - here is "Pastor Greg" trying to lead meaningful discussion about the Christian life among our group. And, my group is so great - so polite. They were nodding at statements, answering questions, participating in conversation. All the while, one by one, they were called away by children who really had to pee.


I am sure it would have looked quite comical to an outside observer. But, no one complained. I think everyone was just happy to be together on a beautiful spring evening. Everyone stayed till well past the kid's bedtimes and it was too dark to see. And, while I certainly won't make the mistake again of taking my group to a place that has no restrooms, I still think the evening went quite well.

Somehow, meeting around picnic tables in a park without restrooms took some of the polish off or our normal meeting times. Usually we meet in a comfortable living room with good lighting and soft music - and adequate restroom facilities. Tonight was very different. It was a good reminder of just how ordinary we all are. And, while we have real and complex issues that need to be talked through with other Christ followers, we nevertheless, live in an ordinary world - a world in which children just can't "hold it" for very long.

Dad, we have to keep reading

I feel a bit like a blog flunky. I tell my friends and family that I have a blog and then promise to keep it updated with info about me and the family - and then I just sort of... run out of things to say. If you have checked this blog over the last few weeks, thanks. Sorry I have been so lazy.

I did actually write a post on tax day - three days ago. It was a rather negative post, however, because of the amount we owed in taxes. I didn't end up publishing it - which is probably best.

It is now Friday afternoon and I feel much better than I did on tax day. I thought I would write about something much more pleasant.

A couple of months ago I mentioned that I was reading aloud the Lord of the Rings series to my oldest daughter. We are still going at it. She is enjoying the story a lot - I am enjoying the one-on-one time I get to spend with her. It's been great.

I went home for lunch today and read some more. We just finished "book 5" which is in the middle of "The Return of the King". If it has been a while since you have read those books, "book 5" ends with the suicidal assault on Mordor. The last scene has Pippen hearing eagles right before he blacks out because of the troll which just fell on top of him.

Here is the conversation between Abby and me after we finished the chapter.

Abby: Dad, we have to keep reading.
Me: I have to go back to work.
Abby: But... DAD!?
Me: Sweetie, I have to go back to the office.
Abby: Is Pippen dead?
Me: I can't tell you that.
Abby: But, Dad... we have to keep reading.
Me: Abby, I can't.
Abby: What's the next chapter called?
Me: The Tower of Cirith Ungol
Abby: Is it about Frodo?
Me: I can't tell you that.
Abby: DAD!?!

I love it.

A visit to the principal's office

Yesterday was a first for the Holmes' household. Kelly and I met with the principal of the Hesston public middle school to start the process of enrolling Abby and Emma for this next fall. That's right, our two home schooled kids will be braving the wild and woolly world of jr. high. They will officially enter the ranks of the Mighty Fighting Swathers.

(Those not from this area might be wondering what exactly a "swather" is. Fair question. It's a piece of farm equipment used to make hay bales.)

Yep. That's our mascot.

We had a very good visit with the principal. We also had a chance to meet the school counselor, a few of the teachers, the lunch ladies, and Lilly (the school's Golden Retriever who has free reign to walk the halls and go in and out of classrooms - very cool).

Kelly and I were very encouraged by our visit. I am looking forward to this new chapter in our family's life. Abby and Emma are nervous - which is to be expected - it's all very new. But, I am so proud of them. They are going to do awesome.

Spring, spring - glorious spring

In one of C.S. Lewis' books (I can't remember which one), he talks about the delicate balance between our need for permanence and our need for change. We each have both of those needs - in differing degrees. As a pastor I deal with people on both ends of the spectrum. Some have a high need for permanence and get very nervous whenever they experience any type of change. Others have a high need for change and feel bored and stagnant whenever things stay the same for too long. But, even those who love permanence don't eat the same food every day. We all need change - at least a little. Even those who love change feel uneasy when the thing being changed is something near and dear to their heart. We all need something secure to count on.

We need all need both change and permanence, but they seem at odds with one another.

The balance between the two is found in... rhythm.

We live in a cycle of rhythm every year in the coming and going of seasons. Every winter I long for spring. I desperately desire the change that spring brings. But is it really change? Every year spring is pretty much the same as the previous year. I know what to expect. I am not longing for something new and different. I am appreciating the cycle of the seasons. The seasons illustrate a permanent cycle of change. Spring feels new and exciting... every year.

Much the same happens within the church. I do not come from a tradition that puts much stock in the formal church calendar. But, even within my tradition we all look forward to singing the same songs at Christmas time, I cry at our Good Friday service... every year. Every time I celebrate Communion it is a little bit different - but for 2,000 years communion has remained very much the same. The Old Testament feasts and festivals illustrate this year by year cycle of change. There is a time for feasting, a time for fasting, a time for weeping, a time for laughing. It is not right to weep all the time. Nor is it right to laugh all the time.

Rhythm walks the line between permanence and change. Rhythm lets me grasp permanence and change at the same time.

I plan on tilling up a vegetable garden this evening when I get home. This weekend I plan on dividing and transplanting some perennials that are already coming up. In a couple of months flowers will be blooming and my family and I will be eating fresh lettuce from our garden. How do I know these things will happen? Because I know that in God's unchanging nature - winter will not last forever. Change is coming. The flowers will bloom. The birds will sing. This night will end. Our unchanging God brings necessary change into our lives.

I love spring.

Release The Cracken

When I was a kid there was a cheesy movie called Clash of the Titans. Other than the laughable special effects, the only memorable thing from the movie was the line, "release The Cracken". The Cracken is a mythological sea monster held in bondage at the bottom of sea by the Greek gods. The Cracken is a really bad thing.

I feel like The Cracken has been living in our home for about a month now.

Our family has been sick... for a month. We keep passing sicknesses around to each other. I guess that is what families do. We share.

And since it is not yet spring-time, it is still too cold to open the windows and air the place out. It's like we are living in a thermos bottle of germs. I just want to let the wind blow through - get that Cracken out of here.

Well, I thought we were all better. Kelly and the girls headed up the Iowa to see her sister's new baby and catch up with some friends. While at the house of one of our friends, Abby got sick... again.

I am so tired of this.

On a more positive note - perhaps if we export The Cracken to Cedar Rapids it will leave us alone.

Happy Valentine's Day

When you are surrounded by women like I am (with a wife and 3 daughters), you forget Valentine’s Day at your own peril. This is a big day in the Holmes' household - lots of chocolate, lots of flowers, lots of heart shaped cookies with frosting and sprinkles. Fun times.

Because of schedules, however, mine and Kelly's official valentine's dinner won't be until tomorrow. Which is actually fine with me because I will be able to get half price on flowers tomorrow (but don't tell my wife). My two oldest girls will be spending the night with friends. Gracie will be going to bed early and I will be making a gourmet meal for two (at least I hope it will be gourmet).

I am continually amazed that I get to be married to the wife God has given me. I am the most blessed man I know. Truly. God has been so very gracious to me. And my greatest earthly blessing is my beloved Kelly. What an amazing woman. This May we will be celebrating 15 years of marriage. She is more beautiful now than she was then.

To Gracie and Emma and Abby and most of all, to my lovely Kelly - Happy, Happy Valentine's Day.

And the winner is...

We went to a Superbowl party yesterday. One of the members of my small-group invited the group over to watch the game because they have a really big screen by which to watch such things. I have never seen a screen that big inside someone's home. It was really, really big. It was a good 11 to 12 feet across and 7 to 8 feet tall. I am not kidding.

We were watching the game in style.

I was rooting for the Giants. Not because I care anything about the Giants, but because they were the underdog. I always root for the underdog. It's just the way I am. My only exception to that rule is when U.T. is playing, or the San Antonio Spurs, or the Texas Rangers baseball team. I always root for them. In the case of the Rangers, they are usually the underdog anyway. They are pretty bad.

So, anyway, I was rooting for the Giants, which made for an excellent Superbowl - a real nail-biter.

But, everyone knows that the game is not the only attraction on Superbowl Sunday. There are also commercials.

Every year big companies spend big bucks to hire the biggest advertising agencies to do their best commercials to air on Superbowl Sunday. Usually, the commercials are not nearly worth the hype. Most are utterly forgettable or leave you wondering what product they were trying to sell. Way to go, advertisers.

The best commercial BY FAR was not produced by Nike or Gatorade or Pepsi or Coke, but by the NFL itself. Their spot about Chester Pitts "Mr. Oboe" was just great.

If you didn't see it, you can watch it here http://superad.nfl.com/

A restless present

I was reading Philip Yancey's book Reaching for the Invisible God the other day when I came across this sentence, "Strong memories soothe a restless present". It stopped me. I stared at that sentence - and stared at it. It was what I needed.


In the chapter I was reading, Yancey had been talking about what it means to walk in faith in our present circumstances. Sadly, it seems that much of the time, the lives we actually experience appear to betray our notions of what the Christian life is "supposed" to be. We believe in a God who is powerful, and who loves us and who intervenes in the affairs of men and who answers prayer and delights in blessing us. That's what we believe - a personal, intimate, powerful, loving God who is actively involved in our lives. We also have assumptions of what a life like that is supposed to look like - supposed to feel like. But we all go through times when one (or many) of those characteristics of a relationship with God seem seem to be absent - or just plain false. Times when God seems neither powerful nor loving. Times when He seems to be in no particular hurry to answer prayer or be involved at all.


What does it mean to walk by faith in those times? How is faith maintained?


Yancey argues that a key to walking by faith in the present is the ability to hold onto the past and the future at the same time. To lift our eyes from our current life and gaze at the life to come and also to look back at God's faithfulness and intervention in the past. We see His involvement and his faithfulness to his promises much easier when we look at broad brush strokes over long periods of time. We have to have these types of bird's eye views on our life or else we'll go crazy. Our circumstances will draw us away from what we know and believe about God. We'll believe the lie that our present circumstances teach us.


To a large degree, faith is the ability to trust in the goodness of God even when all the circumstances of our life seem to argue against it.


I know what it feels like to go through long stretches of silence - when God seems to have forgotten my address - times when a relationship with Him does not at all feel like I thought it would feel. I know what that's like.


And I imagine that anyone who might be reading this blog also knows what it is like. Yancey's statement is a good reminder to lift our eyes - to take a deep breath and gaze far into the future and into the past - to see that our present circumstances are not the complete story. There is more to life than meets the eye.


Don't be fooled. God still loves you. He is still in control. He is still listening. He still deserves our trust.


Hang in there.

a new Bible for a new year

I love new Bibles.

When I study my Bible I usually do so with a pen in hand. I am not one of those who abstains from writing in their Bible. I write all over mine. It helps me study. I feel like I am more engaged with the text when I can underline and circle and make arrows and write notes in the margin. I am not one of those, however, who likes to read my old notes and observations.

The Bible really is living and active. I am impacted by different things at different times. What impacted me a year ago might not be what impacts me today.

I like starting with clean pages.

I read several years ago how Billy Graham used to go through a Bible a year. He would write all over his Bibles and completely use them up. Then, he would give them to his kids and grand kids. I thought that sounded so great. So, a few years ago I endeavored to do the same thing as Billy. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep up with his pace. But, I am ready now for a new Bible.

My Bible has been pretty well filled up for the last few months. Not a lot of clean left. But, getting a new Bible is not as easy as it sounds. I have been wanting one with a cool cover - you know, the ones with the two-toned look and the great feeling leather. The problem is, I have only been able to find those cool covers on KJV, NIV and NLT translations. Those are all great translations, but I prefer the New American Standard (NASB). I think that the NASB people must be pretty boring because while you could get NIV Bibles with Gator skin covers and stainless steel - stuff like that - all you could find for NASB was the same old "Bonded Leather" in burgundy or black. Which is fine... don't get me wrong. It's just not very, you know... cool.

All that changed today. I found a great new Bible. It's NASB with Italian two-toned leather (black and coach brown). It feels so good in your hand -you just want to hold it - which is a great thing for a Bible.

I feel like it's a great challenge to start a new Bible. All those clean pages. I am looking forward to my meeting times with God on the pages of that book. I hope also - that you as well will enjoy great meeting times with God in 2008. May He bless you richly with His Word.

Happy New Year.

Desperate Times

We have a single dad neighbor across the street. He has two kids. We love them all; it has been great to get to know them. Last night, the dad calls me at about 10:30pm and asks, "Um... would you happen to have 13 packets of hot cocoa mix?" I don't think I have ever been asked that question before. His son had just informed him that he was responsible for providing hot cocoa for his whole class - some Christmas shindig. I told him that unfortunately, we did not have 13 packets, but we did have half a family sized "Swiss Miss" can. He said, "Well... um... could I... let's see, what's the word?" "Have it?", I said. "Yeah, that's it".

Desperate times.

This morning our pastor of Students ministries has been out preparing for some big youth Christmas thing tonight. He called me and asked, "Um... would you or your family happen to have an elf suit?"

I don't think I have ever been asked that question either.

I told him that when the government came and collected every one's elf suits, we had to give ours up. It was old and well used anyway - he probably wouldn't have liked it.

Desperate times call for desperate questions.

Tis the season, I guess.

Oh Christmas Tree

We have a tradition in the Holmes household. We cut down our own Christmas tree which we decorate while listening to Christmas music and feasting on Chinese takeout. It's the same every year. My middle daughter has informed me that it is her favorite part of Christmas.


Picking out a good tree from a Christmas tree farm is kind of an art. If you are too picky you can easily find yourself 200 yards away from the truck once you find the perfect tree. That smug grin of satisfaction can quickly be replaced with, "What was I thinking?" on the long journey back. Nevertheless, it is a fun tradition that my girls look forward to every year.

Well, yesterday was the big Christmas tree day for us, and I have to tell ya - it was a bit of a let down. Christmas tree farms are becoming more and more rare, we are coming to find out. The one that we have gone to for the last 2 years is no longer selling trees. The state will now be using that land to widen a highway. It's too bad because it was really the only decent tree farm around here.

So... we went to Wal Mart.

Which is totally not the same.

All the trees were still wrapped up. Have you ever seen those trucks hauling Christmas trees - and they are all wrapped up tight? They look like closed patio umbrellas. It's kind of hard to pick out a good one.

They were all short, too - which was disappointing.

So, we bought one of those trees and brought it home. I cut the rope which was binding it tight, and... nothing happened. It stayed in the same shape. I brought it inside and stuck it in the tree stand. It was really sad. The widest part of the tree was about 12 inches in diameter. No kidding. "I think we are going to have too many ornaments" one of my daughters tells me.

It took a while for the tree to plump up. It looks ok now. It's a little short for our taste - but it's not too bad.

The Chinese food was excellent, though. So, all was not lost.

Homemade

In a Walmart culture and a global economy - you can buy just about anything you want. I am a big fan of really good coffee, and I have a lot of choices to choose from. How many gourmet coffees can I get by taking a short drive to the store or making a few clicks on my web browser? And yet, I insist on roasting my own. Why is that?

Here is my arsenal of coffee roasting popcorn poppers in my garage. It looks like something from "The Red Green Show".

I also build my own furniture. If I were to compare the price of furniture in the store to my cost of materials and then figure in my time, I would have to conclude that my time is... not worth very much. If I were to pay myself minimum wage to build furniture, there is no way I could build anything as inexpensive as they sell at "Oak Express" or "Target". I am just too slow. Yet I still do it.

Here is the headboard of the new bed I am building. I have been working on it since spring.

I could say that it is all about "quality", and certainly quality has something to do with it. But I don't think quality is the only issue. We tend to admire people who have enough money to eat out all the time - but we also think it strange if people don't know how to cook their own meals. We value competency and the ability to do things on our own - even in a consumer culture. We like to be able to do things ourselves.

All around me I see a driving desire for things homemade. My wife knits hats and scarfs and mittens for our family even though it takes her hours and even though she could buy hats and scarfs and mittens at Walmart for less money than she spends on yarn.

Kelly and my two oldest daughters just sewed their own pillow cases. My 9 year old daughter just made a sweater. My sister-in-law knits much of her own clothes. She even knits dolls and toys for her nieces.

My father-in-law makes his own computers. (I really do think he could make a computer with nothing more than chicken wire, a car battery, duct tape, a coke bottle, chewing gum, an old sock, and spit - just like MacGyver. He's amazing.)

My brother brews his own beer.

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I think that deep down we all love to create things. And I think the reason is because we were created in the image of our Creator. It's wired into us. We love to create a gourmet meal, a new article of clothing, a stylishly decorated home, a successful business, a piece of furniture, a song, a painting... something.

Even if we had enough money to buy whatever we wanted, I think we would still feel the need to do something ourselves - to make something. We want to contribute to our lives or the lives of others. Perhaps that is part of what it means to be human.

Another journey through The Lord of the Rings

For several years now my daughters didn't seem to age much. They were children. They would get taller and taller and more articulate, but they remained children. That seems to have changed overnight. I look at my two oldest daughters and think, "Did I miss something? When did this happen?" They are turning into young ladies - by the hour. I am exceedingly proud of them, but a little stressed out too. It's all happening so fast.

Well, Abby, my oldest (age 11) loves action stories, sports, science, space, and adventure. She has read the complete Chronicles of Narnia multiple times. She has been waiting patiently to get the "ok" from mom and dad to read The Lord of the Rings.

As you can see from my list of "Notable Favorite" books on the side panel of this blog, The Lord of the Rings is one of my faves.

Now, I realize that there are some Christians offended by the magical qualities of The Lord of the Rings - and I can understand that. But, it is such a wonderful story with such wonderful themes running through it - themes like sacrifice, courage, sin, good, evil, redemption, friendship and forgiveness. I love the picture of sin as portrayed by the ring. If you try to possess the ring it will end up possessing you. I love the picture of "burden bearing" as pictured through Frodo. Frodo has a burden that he alone must bear, but he is utterly helpless without his friends. They can encourage him, protect him, guide him, and take care of him but ultimately they cannot bear his burden for him. What a great picture of what Christian community is supposed to be as we help to carry one another's burdens. We cannot take the burden away, but we can encourage and protect and take care of one another so that we are not crushed by the burdens we bear.

Good stuff.

There are a whole lot of wonderful themes running through this story. Plus, there are some really good battle scenes.

So anyway, I decided that Abby was old enough to appreciate The Lord of the Rings. But, I wanted to experience it with her so we could talk through some of the issues. So, I decided to read it out loud to her. We are not very far into the first book, but it's been great - absolutely great.

I am sure there will be a day in the very near future when she won't be that excited to get into her p.j's and listen to dad read an exciting story. But, right now, she thinks it's pretty cool.

And so do I.